Pet Orthopaedics

Surgical repair is the best method of correcting and improving the function of patients with cranial cruciate ligament rupture. They are aimed at changing the geometry of the bone or replacing the torn ligament.

Patients with cranial cruciate ligament rupture often suffer from rear leg lameness, where the injured leg cannot be used to bear any weight. If not repaired, the knee remains unstable and results in uneven cartilage wear.

Commonly called trick knee, the medial luxating patella is a very common condition in smaller breeds of dogs. The condition ranges in severity and surgery can be performed to help correct this. Without surgical intervention, this can lead to arthritis in the bone as the weight is shifted unevenly across the four legs.

We perform different forms of procedures to resolve the condition. Trochlea modification involves deepening the bone groove for a greater fit, and lateral imbrication tightens the joint capsule to confine the kneecap in its proper groove.

Bone fractures are often traumatic for both you and your pet, and often affect the major bones that are close to the body such as the femur and humerus. In addition, it can be difficult to maintain a cast or splint in both dogs and cats.

Surgery will usually involve the application of metal implants such as pins, wires, plates or screws, in order to stably hold the bone in place while healing occurs. Post operative care will largely revolve around keeping the wound clean and lowering activity levels to facilitate healing.

Joint luxations occur when bones are dislocated. Certain joints are tougher than others, and stronger joints such as the hip will require severe trauma to break the ligament and tear the joint capsule. If not corrected, this will result in an uneven gait and wear of the affected joint.

Surgical treatments are often required to treat joint luxations. Depending on the joint conformation, repairing the joint capsule is often the best case scenario as this will result in the quickest recovery. However in some other cases, other treatments will be required and our team will be able to advise you on the best course of treatment available.

If your pet is suspected of having bone cancer, bone biopsies are used to extract a small sample of tissue from the bone. This segment is preserved, sectioned and examined to confirm any presence of conditions.

Often, this is a complementary procedure that is performed for definitive evidence. This is usually performed with needle aspirate in order to retain the structural integrity of the bone, and to minimize any potential problems that may arise from the procedure.

Cruciate disease is the most common orthopaedic condition in dogs, and this surgery is performed to repair torn Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACL). The goal of the surgery is to reduce the angle of the bone so that joint instability is eliminated.

We can perform this surgery by correcting the geometry of the tibia via a series of precisely measured cuts, and further stabilizing it with implants. The result is pain-free and comfortable movement for the patient.

Femoral head ostectomy is used to remove the head and neck of the thigh bone. This happens for many reasons; recovery from hip dislocation, a broken femoral head or neck, hip arthritis and Legg-Perthes disease. This is to create a false hip joint that will be allow for greater mobility than before, and is often the least invasive, least costly and quickest route to a mobile hip.

The surgery itself will take place under general anaesthesia and will require hospitalization. Your pet will be discharged when appetite is recovered and mobility of three legs is regained. Pain management and rest is crucial during this period.

Find out more about our Total Hip Replacement procedure here